


Wicked

by FangirlForever18



Series: Skulduggery Pleasant Musicals [2]
Category: Skulduggery Pleasant - Derek Landy, Wicked - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Multi, Musicals, Slow Burn, chinduggery, yes I'm doing this again
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-15 10:33:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29187855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FangirlForever18/pseuds/FangirlForever18
Summary: I'm actually continuing this series, it's a miracle!After the 'success' of the last musical, Militsa has been tasked with producing another one, this time Wicked! But will she be able to do it with the feuding cast mates and the painfully obvious love triangle?
Relationships: Ghastly Bespoke/Tanith Low, Saracen Rue/Dexter Vex, Skulduggery Pleasant/China Sorrows, Skulduggery Pleasant/Skulduggery Pleasant's Wife, Valkyrie Cain/Militsa Gnosis
Series: Skulduggery Pleasant Musicals [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2106609
Comments: 1
Kudos: 7





	1. Loathing

**Author's Note:**

> This time, I am going to mainly be focussing on Chinduggery, but there will occasionally be scenes devoted to other couples :)

Cast:  
China – Elphaba  
Mnemosyne – Glinda  
Skulduggery – Fiyero  
Valkyrie – Nessa  
Tanith – Madame Morrible  
Fletcher – Boq  
Saracen – The Wizard of Oz  
Dexter – Dr Dillamond  
Militsa – The mother  
Ghastly – The father

Valkyrie found Militsa sat in the middle of the living room, surrounded by scraps of paper, frantically flipping between them.  
“Uh, babe, you okay?”  
The necromancer shook her head. “No, not really. The school wants me to put on another musical as the last one was such a ‘success’. Skulduggery said that he and Mnemosyne were in, which means that China will probably say no, but we need her as one of the most talented members of the last cast, and I decided on Wicked, and only she could manage Defying Gravity!”  
“Hey, it will be fine. They’re all adults, they can manage.”  
“Val, I’m literally making them act out a love triangle which they’re already in!”  
Valkyrie hesitated. “I mean, at least it will be accurate?”  
When Militsa didn’t crack a smile, the brunette made her way over to the redhead, pecking her cheek. “I’ll talk to her; China can never say no to me. When’s the show anyway?”  
“Five months. They gave me more warning this time.”  
“Perfect.”

“Absolutely not!”  
Valkyrie sighed. China was glaring down at her from her throne, tattoos appearing and fading sporadically along her arms. This was the angriest she’d seen the older brunette.  
“I know you hate her, and with your history with Skulduggery, I can see why. But this is for Militsa. She needs you as Elphaba, you know you’re the strongest singer we have,” Valkyrie begged.  
“Who’s Mnemosyne playing?”  
Valkyrie mumbled something indecipherable.  
“Speak up, dear.”  
“Glinda,” she said out of the corner of her mouth, wincing as China’s glower darkened further.  
Furious silence filled the room for a few moments, before China bit out, “You want me to act like her best friend? After everything?”  
China leaned back in her throne, head angled up defiantly. “Skulduggery’s insanity has clearly rubbed off on you. There’s no way you’d actually believe I’d participate in this if you were sane.”  
“Can’t you just put your differences aside for this one musical? For Militsa?”  
China sighed, considering it. She hated to admit it, but she did have a soft spot for the teacher.  
“Fine,” she conceded, “but if Mnemosyne attacks me again, I’ll be out of there quicker than you can say ‘homicide’.”  
“That’s fair! Thank you!”  
Valkyrie practically skipped out of the room, oblivious to China who had buried her head in her hands.  
 _What the hell have I signed up for? Kissing Skulduggery again? Mother was right, clearly I do enjoy torturing myself_ , China thought.

Day one of rehearsals came, and with it the first time Mnemosyne, Skulduggery and China had been in the same room together. The rest of the cast, including a few Corrival students as extras, purposefully put themselves between the two women. Dexter was sat next to China, angling his head in a silent attempt of asking how she was. She gave a barely noticeable nod in return.  
For this musical, Dexter was the sole choreographer, China not comfortable with the idea of creating dance routines for her former lover and his wife, but he planned to ask for her input at times.  
He did feel sorry for her, and secretly believed that she and Skulduggery were the better couple, not that he could say that to the skeleton. He’d made his choice, history repeating itself.  
He was broken out of his thoughts with Militsa’s clap.  
“Well, thank you for everyone who has volunteered to participate, and a special thank you to Dexter for choreographing and Ghastly for costume design! With only five months, we still need to work hard to get this performance as good as it can be for opening night! We have an incredible cast, so I know it will be amazing!” the redhead smiled, avoiding China’s raised eyebrow. “Without further ado, can I have everyone on the stage who’s in the opening scene?”  
Voices overlapped, a large amount of the students clambering towards the stage, along with Mnemosyne, Ghastly, Saracen, and Militsa herself. Fletcher was directing this scene as Militsa was in it, cameoing as Elphaba’s mother.  
China could feel Skulduggery’s sockets occasionally glancing at her, but she kept her gaze fixed on the stage, eyes narrowed in concentration and, of course, loathing for Mnemosyne, who’s sickly sweet voice was perfect for Glinda.  
Dexter shrugged at the skeleton to divert his attention. Skulduggery turned back to the stage, watching his wife perform.

Eventually, it was time for China’s entrance, where she used magic to pull Nessa’s wheelchair towards her. It was agreed that Skulduggery would use his own magic for this manoeuvre to make it more seamless.  
Finally, it was time for ‘What Is This Feeling?'  
Both Mnemosyne and China glared at each other for the entire song, no acting required for this display of loathing. Honestly, there were times where dancers were instructed to intercept the two women in case they started properly fighting. Their voices worked well together, which Militsa had to admit she was relieved about. China fixed a dirty look on Mnemosyne as she exited, scowling. The other woman looked like she wanted to attack the Supreme Mage, staying still with barely restrained rage.

China was drained by the end of the rehearsal, thoroughly relieved that she hadn’t had to perform any scenes requiring her to pretend Mnemosyne was her best friend. Unfortunately, she did have to watch a romantic scene between Skulduggery and his wife, feeling her heart break with every second of it, despite Dexter trying his best to distract her by talking about choreography.  
As soon as she got back to her flat, she started to pour a glass of wine, before deciding just to take the bottle. She sat on the sofa, scowling at nothing.  
With every gulp of wine, a different memory flashed behind her eyes.  
Skulduggery and her first meeting, their first kiss, their first night together, the moment when he chose Mnemosyne, his death, those stolen moments in the middle of the night in her old library…  
She was three quarters of the way through the bottle of wine before she realised her cheeks were wet. Sobs racked her body. Screw being THE China Sorrows, for once she just wanted to be China. For tonight, she’d allow herself to feel the pain, allow herself to dwell on it.  
She smiled through the tears. For tonight, she was human.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> China sings 'Not That Girl' and remembers her past with Skulduggery. Much Angst.

The next day, China paused outside, taking a minute to compose herself. Valkyrie had sent her a text, warning her that they would be doing ‘I’m Not That Girl’ today.

She loved both Militsa and Valkyrie, but this was killing her. Yesterday she had to watch the man she cared for perform a love scene with someone else and today, they wanted her to sing about it.

Taking one last deep breath, she headed inside.

Mnemosyne was cuddling Skulduggery in their seats, China quickly averting her gaze and walking as far away from them as possible in the auditorium. Dexter nodded at her as she took a seat next to him, Saracen smiling sympathetically on his other side.

Sighing, she brought out her script, desperate to tune out Mnemosyne’s light laugh carrying through the theatre. Pretending to read her script gave her a good excuse to not pay attention to the happy couple.

Valkyrie joined their row.

“Honestly, she never leaves his side. I feel like I haven’t had conversation with him in weeks,” Valkyrie whispered, nodding towards the skeleton and his wife.

Dexter nodded. “It was like that before. She always wanted to know where he was. She wouldn’t really say why. Something about him and an inn?”

“Yeah, apparently he slept with someone else on a mission in this inn and clearly she hasn’t forgotten,” Saracen added.

“Who?” Valkyrie asked.

China sighed, lowering her script to say, “That’s not really important, is it?”

All three of them turned to look at her, eyebrows raised.

“Something you want to tell us, China?”

The older woman rolled her eyes, turning back to her script while they continued to whisper.

Finally, rehearsals began. Dexter ran through some simple choreography with them all for ‘Dancing Through Life’, Militsa skipping ‘Popular’ for now, until it was the moment China was dreading.

Skulduggery and Mnemosyne were directed to be in the background, while China took centre stage, the music starting for ‘I’m Not that Girl’.

_“Hands touch, eyes meet_

_Sudden silence, sudden heat_

_Hearts leap in a giddy whirl_

_He could be that boy_

_But I’m not that girl”_

China tried to resist the memories. After the conversation about the inn, they were too fresh, brought to the front of her brain.

Both of them checked in, exhausted from two separate missions. They hadn’t spoken in years, having parted the moment she joined Mevolent’s army.

“Don’t tell me I’m going to have to fight you as well? My limbs already feel like they’re going to fall off,” she’d said, wiping some blood off her forehead.

He grinned that familiar crooked smile that she’d missed, “I suppose we can call a momentary truce.”

She nodded, smiling back until she noticed the gold band around his finger.

“I suppose congratulations are in order,” she murmured, pointedly looking at the ring.

“Oh, yes, thank you. It’s been a few years now.”

“Well, I wish her the best,” the woman smiled, picking up her bags, ready to go to her room, stopped by a hand on her arm.

“Any chance you’d feel like eating dinner with me later?”

She hesitated, thinking it over. Slowly, she nodded yes, trying to suppress how his smile at that had made her feel, already walking to her own room. Once inside, she closed the door, leaned against it and took a deep breath, smiling.

After bathing, she got dressed in an elegant blue dress, leaving her hair loose around her shoulders. Taking a deep breath, she walked down the corridor to Skulduggery’s room, knocking thrice on the heavy oak door.

He opened it with a crooked smile, wearing a black suit, a recent Bespoke creation, she assumed. China followed him into the modest room, noting his battle suit neatly folded on the armchair, the table set for two with trays of food surrounding their empty plates.

Ever the gentleman, Skulduggery pulled out her seat, before taking his place opposite her.

They served themselves, sitting in awkward silence.

Skulduggery broke it first, “So, what’s been happening for you?”

“Nothing much, just several missions in a row, you know what that’s like.”

He nodded. “Have you spoken to your brother at all?”

“Of course not. He’s on your side after all.”

They fell back into awkwardness.

“Do you remember when we first met?” China asked, voice light, taking a sip of her red wine.

“Of course. At the marketplace, right? Ghastly nocked into you,” he smirked.

“He didn’t even stop to apologise.”

“He was hungry, his mind was on one thing.”

“At least you caught me. If I’d fallen, there would’ve been hell to pay!”

He laughed.

They continued to reminisce, the hours passing with many glasses of wine until they were both more than tipsy. Finally, China decided she had to go to bed, Skulduggery walking to the door with her.

“I’ve missed this,” she smiled, looking up at him. He was so close she could make out the faint freckles across his cheeks and the shadow of his eyelashes from the candlelight.

“Me too,” he murmured, leaning down to kiss her cheek, instead catching the corner of her mouth.

She sighed, causing him to pause, lips millimetres away from her own. His eyes met hers, something unspoken passing between them, and now he was kissing her, pressing her against the door, one hand fumbling with the back of her dress as she unbuttoned his shirt. He led her over to the bed, not breaking the kiss until he absolutely had to. They fell onto the bed together, giggling until they were no longer giggling.

The next morning, China had slipped out of his grasp, dressing quickly before sneaking out of the room, gently closing the door behind her. She rushed back to her room, picking up her rucksack, before checking out. Grabbing her horse, she rode back to camp, getting as far away from Skulduggery as she could, refusing to even think about what had passed between them.

_"Don’t wish, don’t start_

_Wishing only wounds the heart_

_I wasn’t born for the rose and the pearl_

_There’s a girl I know_

_He loves her so_

_I’m not that girl"_

China finished the song, noting how good a reminder it was for herself. No more wishing. Fairy tales didn’t come true for her, a lesson she’d learnt from a young age, and this was no exception.

Tuning back in to the present, Militsa was clapping. “Absolutely perfect! Thank you, China.”

She nodded, the rest of rehearsal passing by like a dream. China didn’t even feel like she was there, trapped in her nostalgia, going through the motions of being in a performance.


End file.
